Pan Am HOV lane restrictions will change
Hamilton will also say goodbye to the Pan Am Games at the waterfront this weekend
Starting next week, vehicles with only two people in them will be allowed in the Pan Am Games high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.
Right now, vehicles need three or more occupants to be in the HOV lanes on the QEW, which the province put there for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.
The Pan Am Games end Sunday. The Parapan Am Games run from Aug. 7 to 15.
The new requirement will "let more carpoolers and families access the lanes, and help Parapan Am Games athletes and officials get to and from competitions, training sessions and the airport," the province said in a release Saturday.
Here's who else is allowed in the lanes:
- Emergency vehicles.
- Public transit.
- Licensed taxis.
- Airport limousines.
- Electric vehicles with green licence plates (on provincial 400-series highways only).
- Motorcycles (on City of Toronto roads only — Don Valley Parkway, Gardiner Expressway, Lake Shore Boulevard).
Signs on the highway will start changing this weekend, but the new requirements don't start until Tuesday.
Here's what else you need to know for the Pan Am Games Saturday morning:
GO trains from Toronto to Aldershot are delayed by about five minutes as of 9:20 a.m. Check out the schedule at gotransit.com.
There are two soccer games at the CIBC Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday. Brazil and Panama play the men's bronze medal match at 1:05 p.m. and Brazil and Colombia play the women's gold medal match at 6:35 p.m. Check out the rest of the Pan Am Games schedule.
Events at Hamilton's waterfront
The city's Hamilton Waterfront Pan Am Cultural Showcase event runs Saturday and Sunday. The schedule is as follows:
- HMS Navy Band at 12:30 p.m.
- Catch CBC's Coverage of Men's Football Final – Bronze Medal Match airs at 1 p.m.
- Ginger St. James at 4 p.m.
- Catch CBC's Coverage of Women's Football Final – Gold Medal Match airs at 6:30 p.m.
- Grand Analog at 8:30 p.m.
- A Tribe Called Red at 9:45 p.m.
On Sunday, entertainment starts at noon and ends at 9:45 p.m. with fireworks by Circus Orange with the National Academy Orchestra at 9:45 p.m. Get more information on parking and location.